by Fel Fern
“Go,” Pat said, no trace of fear on his face. The little human even strode to the front door for him.
Mac barreled out, wondering what the hell happened to his brother. Connor had been unstable before he met Danny, had been shifting far too often that he’d begun to fear someday, Connor wouldn’t return to human form. Connor was doing so good.
He spotted Danny racing out of the cabin he shared with Connor, looking worried. Mac let out a growl as Danny froze in his steps. Another door banged open, revealing his older brother, Rick. Rick’s face was twisted in rage, on the verge of a shift, too.
Both of them had heard Connor’s call, but he locked gazes with his brother. Silent understanding passed between them. Someone needed to stay behind and keep an eye on Danny. Very few things could hurt a werebear. It had to be another paranormal or shifter. Rick went up to Danny, but he didn’t have time to watch him console the human. He ran into the closest cluster of trees, his anger a living thing.
These were their woods, because the property belonged to them. They had signs on the edges of the land warning would-be trespassers to enter at their own peril, because like most predatory shifters, bears were territorial by nature.
He let out a rattling roar of his own. Connor let out another bellow, and he traced the source. Other shifters assumed bears might be big and powerful but lacked speed. They were wrong. He reached a familiar clearing surround by pine trees. This was where their father used to take them while they were growing up and trying to master their inner beasts.
Scenting copper and ashes in the air only further enraged his bear.
Connor fought off three pale-faced figures. Vampires. What the hell were these vampires doing on their territory? Since shifters could see well in the dark, he saw Connor bled from a few places. He recognized none of the vampires, and judging by their ragged clothing, they weren’t from around these parts.
One vampire hissed, seeing him, then came right at him, fangs unsheathed. Bloodsuckers weren’t to be underestimated, his father told them that before, and he understood why. Despite their slim pale forms, they moved incredibly fast and proved to be as vicious as any shifters.
The vampire struck, burying his fangs into his shoulder just as Mac shoved the persistent creature with his claws. The guy didn’t stay down, but Mac threw in a little extra force the next time. The leech hit the nearest tree and slumped on the ground.
He ran toward his brother, chucked the vampire on Connor’s back to the ground. Howling, Connor broke the neck of the third one. The second vampire, Mac did the same. Connor panted, muzzle wet with blood, then eyed the last unconscious vampire.
While tempting to finish the kill, Mac needed answers. He shoved at Connor, but Connor snarled at him, fury in his eyes. Mac quickly changed back to human, because the last thing he wanted was trade claws and fangs with his already injured brother.
“Connor, I want to hear what he has to say. We need to find out why he attacked you,” he said, striding to the vampire.
He was well-aware Connor’s temper stood on a knife’s edge, and it didn’t help his own. Connor didn’t instantly charge at the vampire though. Good. Connor really did change a lot after mating Danny, his bloodlust no longer as intense as before.
Fisting his hand into the vampire’s shirt, he dragged the vampire up. A few shakes and the guy woke up, groaning.
“Why are you after my brother?” he demanded.
The leech continued glaring at him.
He flashed his fangs. “Answer me, or I’ll give you to him.”
The bloodsucker’s gaze slid to the bodies of his companions and, if possible, turned even more pale.
“Not him,” the vampire finally said. “You. Someone hired us to find you. We mistook him for you, Mac O’Riley.”
That only pissed him off. He shoved the vampire violently against the tree. A roar rattled out of his chest. “Who sent you?”
The vampire bit his lip.
“You’re not from around here. I’m guessing you’re outsiders. By law, my brother and I could do whatever we want, even rake you to ribbons,” he said, tone vicious. No one hurt his family and got away with it.
“N-no! Please. I’ll tell you everything. It’s not worth dying for some stingy client. It was a local vampire, Roger Moore. He reached out to us, wanted to put a hit on you.”
“Roger thinks sending three vampires is enough to finish me off? I’m fucking insulted,” he said.
“Mac, I don’t think Roger’s that stupid. Something doesn’t feel right,” came Connor’s voice behind him.
A chill went down his spine. These vampires were a distraction. Roger’s real goal was Pat.
Chapter Nine
“Leave the O’Riley werebears alone. One vampire’s quarrel with the bears isn’t enough to put the entire coven at risk.” Those had been the words of the vampire king Isaac Crane to Roger two weeks ago, when Roger brought up the incident.
Mac disrespected him and, by default, his coven. Hadn’t that been enough? Screw what Isaac said. Roger had beef to settle with the cocky werebear. During their high school years, Roger had always been overshadowed by golden boy Mac O’Riley when it came to football and girls. Roger didn’t get it. He was better looking than Mac, played better on the field, too. Unlike Mac, he came from a good family.
Hell. Roger even became a vampire, because being human sucked. He thought becoming one of the undead would shift life in his favor. For a while, it did. He had no problem luring men and women eager to pop open a vein for him. Who could resist a rich, gorgeous vampire?
He lived quite the life, too. Who cared if Isaac, his maker the leader of the small coven in town, never quite warmed up to him? Isaac even called him a lost cause, told Roger to do whatever he wanted, because he didn’t care, as long it didn’t break any laws. Isaac said vampires like him didn’t last long. Isaac had the gall to tell Roger he regretted Turning him.
Whatever.
Roger had been living it up, spending most of his nights throwing lavish parties. When he got bored, he’d prowl the local bars, looking for some tasty snack. Desperate prey were more fun to play with, and there were always miserable humans eager to please him.
When he saw Pat Lane in that bar, he knew who the human was.
That boring, average prick had been important to Mac O’Riley. Everyone who had a good pair of eyes knew that in high school. Even though it had been years ago and Pat left before freshman year ended, Roger took note of Mac’s weakness. He thought it would be fun, stealing Mac’s human from under his nose.
Pat Lane turned out to be a snooty little bastard though. No one refused Roger, and yet that ugly-ass weak human did. Roger silently seethed. For now, he was safe in one of the trees that overlooked the O’Riley cabins.
His hiding spot gave him an excellent view of Pat. He laughed to himself when he spotted Mac running out of the cabin in bear form. If Roger swept inside the cabin now, Mac wouldn’t even realize Roger had slipped inside. Roger was no idiot though. He spotted Rick, Mac’s older brother, nudging Connor’s mate inside his cabin.
Certain the outside vampires he hired would be doing what he paid them for, he climbed down the tree. Oh, he knew a couple of weak vampires wouldn’t be enough to finish off two male dominant werebears, but they’d provide ample distraction. Once he climbed down the tree, Roger checked his phone.
No updates from Bert, the leader of the little ragtag group. It had been easy enough to find cutthroats willing to do a dirty job once Roger dangled enough of his father’s cash. Roger heard a howl in the far distance. His face twisted into rage. Bert and his little crew couldn’t have fallen this fast, could they?
Shit. Fuck Bert and his miserable crew. They couldn’t even do their jobs properly, and now, all the plans he made would turn to ashes. Roger knew by hiring Bert and going up against the werebears, he’d be incurring Isaac’s wrath. The centuries-old vampire king was getting soft though.
Roger had gotten sick of this town anyway
. He had his father’s money. He could live anywhere he wanted. After he drained every drop of Pat’s blood, he’d leave the Red Mountains. Roger would start somewhere new, maybe find another coven. Once he showed them they had plenty of incentive to accept him, namely all the zeroes in his bank account, he’d become part of a coven again.
Certain Rick and Danny remained in their cabin, he slipped out of his hiding place. Rick would be too busy, fussing over Connor’s human mate. Mate. Roger sneered. That was what made this little venture easy.
Look at Connor O’Riley. The crazy werebear had been a force to be reckoned with once, but some human had tamed him. Mates crippled dominant shifter males, and while Mac hadn’t mated Pat, Mac would definitely be broken after seeing Pat’s bloodless body.
Roger entered through the back door, not making a sound. Usually, vampires needed an invitation into a home, just like the stories. Too bad this cabin wasn’t exactly a home. A few other people had stayed here before Pat. The welcome mat out at front had been invitation enough.
He scented the human in the living room, worriedly pacing back and forth. Roger could easily move behind Pat, broken Pat’s neck without the human realizing what happened, but where was the fun in that?
Connor and Mac were still far away, would never reach him in time.
Roger shoved the empty cup on the dining room table, getting Pat’s attention. The human turned, widening his eyes at the sight of him. Pat’s fast-beating heart sounded like music to his ears.
“W-who are you?” Pat asked, looking wary.
The human had every right to be. It pissed Roger off that Pat couldn’t even remember him.
Roger opened his mouth, flashed his fangs at Pat. The human turned nearly as pale as he was.
“You’re the vamp from the bar,” Pat whispered, backing away as he walked toward Pat.
He laughed when Pat grabbed the nearest weapon he could get his hands on, a butter knife sitting beside a plate on the coffee table. Pat’s back hit the wall. The human had nowhere to go.
“What? Not glad to see me? That little knife won’t do a thing to me,” Roger said.
Fuck, he got hard just from smelling the fear wafting from Pat.
“What do you what? What are you even doing here?” Pat whispered.
“Dumb human, no one refuses me and gets away with it.”
* * * *
Fear froze every bone in Pat’s body. Roger had transformed from a handsome guy who could have passed for human to a monster with crimson eyes and fangs. Pat clutched at the knife, well aware it would do jack shit to a vampire. Mac mentioned Roger had been newly changed, not a threat.
Not to a werebear, at least, but a human like him?
Pat was dead meat. Two weeks ago, he’d probably have a meltdown if he came face-to-face with a vampire. Plenty of life-changing events had happened since then though. Like hell Pat would let this bloodsucker kill him, especially after he just told his bear he planned to make the biggest change in his life.
He clutched at the knife, stabbed blindly at Roger when the vamp rushed him. Roger hissed as Pat sunk the tiny blade into his shoulder. Roger shoved him away with such force, he landed on the ground. His knife clattered on the ground.
Panicked, Pat grabbed the next nearest item—the plate Mac left behind yesterday. He tossed it at the angry vampire, wincing as ceramic shattered. Roger howled and, in moments, had his pale long fingers wrapped around his throat.
He choked, eyes blurring and vision swirling as Roger began to strangle him. Pat forced air into his lungs, but Roger’s sharp nails broke skin and drew blood. If the vampire thought Pat would go out without a fight, Roger had another thing coming.
Pat lashed out with his legs, catching the vampire by surprise. He managed to yank his body away from Roger. Breathing hard, he ran only to feel a hand on his left ankle. Roger tugged, sending him crashing painfully into the ground again.
“No you don’t, trash,” Roger yelled. The vampire shoved him violently on his back, straddled him easily using his supernatural strength. He got in a scratch or two, but Roger pinned his arms above his head.
“Food should know their place,” Roger said.
“Go to hell. Only Mac could touch me like this.”
Pat did what he should have done earlier. He screamed as loud as he could, but Roger quickly rammed his fist into his ribs, silencing him as he groaned in pain. It didn’t matter. He had to believe either Rick, Mac, or Connor were on their way to him. Pat refused to believe fate brought him back to the Red Mountains only to die.
No. Pat used to be afraid to dream about the future. All he cared about had been surviving one stressful day at a time. Now, he envisioned living with his werebear, waking up next to Mac every morning. With a supportive, protective, and caring mate by his side, he could tackle each day with resolve. Then he’d end the day tucked against Mac’s big and warm body, feeling loved and knowing his place in the world.
Pat refused to let one egoistic vampire ruin his dream.
“Get off me,” he gritted out.
“Shut the fuck up. No one’s coming for you. Well, all they’ll find is one very dead human.”
“Don’t underestimate us humans, and didn’t you used to be one?” That earned him another painful jab in the ribs.
The front door slammed opened, making Roger pause. The terrifying roar of an enraged grizzly filled the cabin. He took that opportunity to slam his elbow into Roger’s face. The vampire hissed, releasing him as he rolled away just in time for Mac to go head-to-head with Roger.
He kept out of safe distance as vampire and werebear tangled.
Pat had to do something, but his entire body hurt too much. Win, he thought fiercely. “Win, baby!” he managed to utter.
Chapter Ten
Hearing Pat’s encouraging words sparked more ferocity inside Mac. Roger was new at being a vampire. He didn’t know how to utilize his strength yet, so Mac didn’t have any problem landing the baby vampire under his huge claws. He saw hatred reflected in Roger’s eyes and knew the bloodsucker would never stop hunting his mate.
What kind of crazy psycho would hire a bunch of thugs to do his bidding and risk going up against three dominant werebears? Mac didn’t think Isaac, the local vampire king, knew about it.
No, Isaac was civil, understood the agreement formed by all the paranormals living in the Red Mountains. Still, Isaac had Turned Roger. Leaving Roger alive would be better. That way they’d get answers, but his bear was too close to the killing edge.
Rage rode him. Realizing he wouldn’t win, Roger started to beg and plead for his life underneath Mac. In response, he raked his claws across the vampire’s chest. Roger would heal anyway.
“Mac, don’t kill him yet,” said Rick’s voice from behind him.
Mac couldn’t risk turning his head, especially if the snake underneath him decided to do something.
He growled in answer to Rick’s order.
“Connor updated me about what happened. We need him alive, Mac. If you kill him now, I don’t know how Isaac will react. Isaac is still his Maker. We’ll leave justice to him,” Rick said.
Mac knew his brother tried for a reason, but he was beyond human logic. Mac was this close to sinking his claws into the fucker who thought his mate was easy prey. He should have ended this leech’s life that night.
He snarled, unsheathed his fangs, about to plunge it into Roger’s neck to rip the bloodsucker’s throat out, but Pat’s cry of alarm stopped him.
“Mac, please. Listen to your brother,” Pat said.
Mac tensed when Pat neared him. It wasn’t safe yet. The threat to his mate hadn’t been eliminated. Curiosity took over his bear though as Pat patted his fur, wonder on his face. Pat showed no inch of fear around a big grizzly. That was his mate. Convinced Isaac would deal with his offspring, he smacked the side of Roger’s skull so hard, the vampire fainted.
Satisfied the leech wouldn’t be moving any time soon, he got off Roger.
“
I’m getting some rope to tie him up,” Rick said.
He heard the door slam behind him. Rick must have left. He shifted back to human, but he kept a close eye on Roger. Still unconscious. Pat threw his arms around him, hugging him tight.
“You scared me,” Pat whispered. “When you ran out just now, for a second, I was terrified you’d never come back to me.”
Mac nuzzled his neck. “I should be the one saying that. Fuck. When I found out Roger paid those vamps to distract Connor and me, I got so mad. I’ve never felt that angry my entire life.”
“What’s going to happen to him?” Pat asked.
Rick had returned and his brother easily restrained the vampire. “I’ll get this trash out of here,” Rick told him and gave him an updated on their other brother. “Connor’s fine. Danny’s fussing over him, and I’ll leave your human to do the same.”
Rick hefted the unconscious vampire over his shoulder and hefted him outside.
He returned his attention to his mate and answered Pat’s question. “We’ll hand him over to his king. Isaac will decide. It’ll either be death or exile.”
Pat paled, then nodded. “I think there was something wrong with him.”
“That or he’s just a prick.” Max snorted. “Immortality and a former human suddenly gaining more power has a way of doing that. I’ve seen it a few times. The only thing that matters now is that you’re safe. Come on.”
Mac didn’t wait for Pat’s answer, he led his human to the bathroom. “Let’s see how badly you’re injured.”
* * * *
Mac chose to ignore all of Pat’s protests that he was fine. Well, he decided as Mac ordered him to sit on the toilet seat, being fawned over was nice, too. Mac grabbed a first aid kit from under the sink.
“Let’s get this shirt off you,” Mac suggested.
Knowing Mac would only rip it off if he refused, he meekly raised his arms and let the werebear pull it off. Mac grimaced, then looked pissed as he kept touching Pat. His bear could be rough at times, but in moments like this, Mac showed his sweet side by handling him gently.